


stop playing with my heart

by fkaps2point0



Series: i don’t know how to be happy, but if i'm with you i think it’s possible [4]
Category: Start-Up (Korea TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:27:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28165476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fkaps2point0/pseuds/fkaps2point0
Summary: Seo Dal-mi's problems in order of importance:1. A parent-like grandmother who's vision continues to deteriorate day in and day out2. Graduating university, in this economy3. Finding a job, in this economy4. Realizing her dream of becoming a CEO and the obstacles that came along with it5. A stoic TA seemingly hellbent on ruining her life before it can properly startOr: Dal-mi needs to pass a class in order to graduate, Ji-pyeong makes it nearly impossible
Relationships: Han Ji Pyeong/Seo Dal Mi
Series: i don’t know how to be happy, but if i'm with you i think it’s possible [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009962
Comments: 30
Kudos: 69





	stop playing with my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive me im back LOL
> 
> Spoiler:
> 
> I'm not going to make these two romantically involved while they still have a teacher-student like relationship in this. Not my thing 
> 
> As i post it is currently close to 4am..... i have work in 5 hours and I will not be editing until later tmrw. Sorry if this is a little rough haha
> 
> Update: jan 19 2021  
> I have absolutely not forgotten about this!! If i could spend all day writing i literally would, unfortunately work and life in general is kicking my ass rn, but rest assured i WILL finish this. Even if everyone has long moved on from the show by that point lol

** Opinions on CSC454 - The Business of Software? **

_ u/aspiringCEO _

Hey everyone! Just wondering if anyone who has taken the course in the past has any advice on how to approach it? Looking to finish off senior year without tanking my GPA beyond repair. I’m a finance/marketing major, but have taken introductory CS courses, so pretty strong base to work with. Any tips are appreciated! 

Also, if anyone else here is taking the course this semester, let me know :)

[+102, -5]

Drop it. Now. Just... trust me, okay? Your GPA will thank me later

[+110, -12]

CSC454?? I heard the TA is an ass lol

[+96, -7]

Hahah professor Yoon is an angel whereas her TA may as well be Satan in a button down dress shirt 

[+78, -2]

Han Ji-pyeong made me cry three times during the semester and I literally dropped the class after two weeks so yeah

[+56, -3]

The TA is the hottest man I've ever met in my life but I swear to god every word out of his mouth almost made me shit my pants 

[+50, -1]

HJP told me I was a lost cause after I forgot to do the assigned readings for the first class because my cat died the day before....

_ U/san2rdthesecond _

[+32, -4]

I'm taking it! So is u/san2rdthethird

_ u/NDS2014 _

[+10, -11]

I took the class a few years back. The TA is harsh, but fair. I think I appreciated him more after graduating and getting a taste of the real world. Definitely prepared me for the worst. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat further.

> [+20, -9]
> 
> Guess the school is sending a mole out on social media after seeing enrollment drop lol
>
>> [+12, -3] Are you kidding? I've been on the waitlist for months, this stupid class is always full
> 
> [+17, -2]
> 
> One of HJP's groupies clearly has alot of time on their hands hahah

[+4, -13]

Why is a business major taking classes for STEM students... stay in your lane

From: _u/aspiringCEO_

To: _u/NDS2014_

Hey! Thank you for your response to the post. I don't know what I expected, but it definitely wasn't the majority of the comments it got lol. 

I guess since you’ve taken the course, I’ll speak candidly. It’s corny, but I’ve always dreamed of becoming a CEO. Everything I’ve done up until now, all the courses I’ve taken and the part-time jobs I’ve worked, I’ve tried to gain experiences that would help me towards achieving this goal. 

Now, I’m not saying CSC454 would be the difference between me becoming a Fortune 500 CEO and a jobless loser, but in your honest opinion would it at least help in getting a little closer to the former? 

Also, is the TA really that bad? I’ve taken a couple of Professor Yoon’s classes before, and she’s always spoken really highly of him, even if it was just in passing. It’s hard to believe Han Ji-pyeong is the tyrant the comments are painting him to be. 

Thank you again for all your help :) 

From: _u/NDS2014_

To: _u/aspiringCEO_

No problem. Always happy to help out, especially because I think the comments on the post were a little unfair. Warranted, maybe, but I truly think it’s a class that will teach you a lot and force you to think outside of the bubble school has shielded you under so far. Unfortunately, the workplace is not as friendly as a classroom.

I think it’s a great course in terms of getting the kind of experience you’re looking for. Don’t know if you’ve had the chance to look at the syllabus yet, but there’s a capstone project that runs throughout the duration of the course. It allows you to develop a mock start-up and product to present at the end of the semester. You didn’t hear it from me, but there’s often investors and employers in attendance at the final pitches, and winning team members in the past have been known to get internship/job offers provided that they stand out amongst their peers.

As for the TA, he can be a bit of an ass. But, he means well. I think he’s definitely more reasonable than the comments imply. The behaviour comes with the territory, don’t take it too personally. 

From: _u/aspiringCEO_

To: _u/NDS2014_

I think you’ve convinced me, the department should hire you as a promotor, or at the very least set you up with a commission hahaha

Btw, is Han Ji-pyeong as hot as they said he was? Out of pure curiousity, of course

From: _u/NDS2014_

To: _u/aspiringCEO_

He’s alright.

From: _u/NDS2014_

To:  _ u/aspiringCEO _

On a scale of 1-10, a solid 8.5. Maybe a 9 when his hair is up.

* * *

week 1

“Oh!” Dal-mi cries out, after feeling her face collide with the hard chest of the man in front of her, wire glasses crushing uncomfortably against her nose bridge. He certainly wasn’t there five seconds ago, when her face was buried deep in her newly purchased textbook as outlined in the course syllabus. She knows its not her fault, but she blurts out a rushed, almost instinctive apology after years of conditioning from minimum wage retail jobs anyway.

The morning began with a start worse than most. Halmeoni’s eyesight continued to deteriorate, and without her corn dog truck serving as a distraction, Dal-mi knew the days she spent entirely outside the house, whether in class or at work, were the hardest for her grandmother to get through. 

Thursdays were the busiest, a full morning of classes that ran until 4 PM, and an hour of brief respite preceding the forty-five minute bus ride from campus to her evening shift at the coffee shop, located halfway between university and home. It was a wonder she was even able to get out of bed after covering a coworker’s shift the night before, let alone drag herself to campus just in time to make it to her first class, the dreaded CSC456, appeased only by the kind words of encouragement from user NDS2014. 

In the end, she took the plunge, the advice from an invididual outweighing the warnings from well meaning, she was sure, numerous others, persistent in their precautionary deterring. For some reason, their voice overpowered the remaining majority. She reassured herself well after, rationalizing that a course run by one of the most beloved professors within the department could not possibly suck as much as the forum users exaggerated, regardless of the hellish TA assisting her. 

If she regrets anything, its the awful timing. 9 AM classes and the tiredness that eventually made its way in the form of drooping eyes and zoning out when the professor droned on a little bit too long was not her idea of an ideal morning, especially so close, yet so far until her one day off during the week. 

And now, if the early start, the almost missed bus, and the shirt that she was donning with a questionable stain at the hem in desperate need of laundering wasn’t enough, the man in front of her, struck still as a brick wall after she bumped into him, had decided to make her day just a little bit more difficult.

“I’m sorry.” Dal-mi offers, readjusting her glasses and assessing her assilaint for any injuries she could potentially be blamed for. No signs of beverage spillage or blood in sight, she breathes out a sigh of relief, finally making eye contact with the stranger who effectively further contributed to a day with a prexisting bleak outlook. 

_Whoa_.

She’s sure he’s not a student. A student like him would have been the prime subject of campus gossip, eye candy for everyone attracted to the male species. The antagonist of the break up story from everyone he dated, simply because he managed to get away. Not one to normally stare, Dal-mi can physically feel her jaw drop just a tad, involuntarily gaping at the man in front of her.

It’s not so much his appearance that shocks her, although she’d be hard pressed to admit that wasn’t a part of it. With his hair swept back, dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and an eyebrow quirked upwards in obvious annoyance at her disruption, he looked like a high level corporate executive who’d just departed a disastarous board meeting, rather than a student about to engage in a two hour lecture followed by a one hour practical. There’s a confident air surrounding him, a cocky, self-assured “I’m better than you” vibe radiating off him in waves, unbearably irritating, and as much as she hates to own up to, kind of attractive, in a way that makes her feel annoyed with herself.

And it’s not solely Dal-mi who notices. Finger pointing ensues in the background, from female and male students alike, whispers muttered and exchanged amongst the crowd of students forming around the classroom. In her daze, she neglected to realize they were blocking the entrance leading inside. 

He examines her for a moment, scanning her from head to toe. There’s nothing suggestive about his apprasial. If anything, it’s downright clinical, given the way he scrutinizes her shoes, scuffs concealed with the Sharpie she’d fished out of the depths of her backpack on the bus ride to campus. Dal-mi shifts awkwardly, regretting her choice in footwear, almost regretting even showing up in the first place. 

Eventually, after agonizing seconds dragging into what feels like forever, he redirects his gaze to meet Dal-mi’s. He towers over her only a few inches, but somehow manages to make her feel less than three feet tall in stature.

“Sure.” He waves her off dismissively, without a second glance, entering the classroom and taking a seat in at one of the chairs situated in the back. After being subjected to a visual interrogation in the form of his blank stare lasting what felt like ages, she’s left unwillingly embarrased, her cheeks pinking at the obvious brush off, half embarrased and half angry, internally retracting her apology.

_ Not anymore, asshole _ _._

Dal-mi sits down somewhere near the middle, as far away from the said asshole as possible, next to a girl she recognizes from one of her other classes. Sa-ha, from what she recalls, spares her a flimsy wave before drawing her attention back to her laptop. Pulling out a notebook and pen, opting for paper over her own device, in favour of no back pains resulting from a commute with extra baggage, she sets up her space, willing herself to get through the next three hours without falling asleep at some point.

“Good morning everyone,” comes a booming voice, claiming the attention of the once boisterous crowd of students lining the lecture hall seats, “Welcome to CSC456, I’m Professor Yoon. Good to see a lot of familiar faces.”

Professor Yoon introduces herself, approaching the large desk at the helm of the classroom, placing her briefcase atop it, pausing briefly to beam in Dal-mi’s general direction, “I look forward to getting to know you all over the semester. As most of you are in your final year of university, I’m optimistic that this will be a course you remember after graduating,” shuffling papers on her desk before looking up meaningfully, “Hopefully in a good way.”

The lecture passes by in a flurry, concluding sooner than Dal-mi anticipated. With the fascinating material and enthusiasm laced tone Professor Yoon instructed in, the class reciprocated her passion eagerly, chiming in with their input without being prompted. It was one of the first times she had attended a class where the students did not require the promise of participation based grade boosts to bribe them into actively engaging in classroom discussion. 

“As we near the end of our time together today,” Professor Yoon starts, powering down her laptop currently projecting on the wall behind her, “I want you to start thinking about the groups you wish to form for the capstone project as outlined in the course syllabus,” standing in front of her desk, arms placed gently on her hips, she assesses the crowd, “While I’m not capping the size of your groups, I recommend not exceeding five members. Furthermore, make sure you establish your roles and responsibilites within the group before you start making progress.” 

“Remember that this is your chance to do everything a start-up entails without the reprecussions associated with their failures in real life. Take this seriously, and I have no doubt that the experience will mark the beginning of very successful careers for everyone in this room,” she beckons to the back of the classroom with a tilt of her head, causing heads to turn at the subject of her gesture, no one other than the annoying student Dal-mi had bumped into prior to class ensuing, “Han Ji-pyeong will be your TA for the semester, as well as your instructor for the one hour practical following the end of this lecture. He’s assisted me with this course for almost four years now, and is well versed in my expectations for you guys. Use him like you would any other resource, I can’t advocate for his experience and skills enough.” 

The praise, which rolled off her professor’s tongue, a woman Dal-mi had long admired, so naturally, nearly made her second guess the first impression of the man who currently stood after being referred to. Then, a subtle smirk emerges, a slight nod of acknowledgment directed towards the class before he lowers himself down into his seat once again. 

Nope. Her instincts continued to prove right once again. 

Dal-mi feels a nudge at her shoulder, Sa-ha leaning in to murmur almost conspiratorially at her ear, “I heard he’s this hotshot senior associate at SH Ventures, I wonder what he’s doing slumming it around here.”

She unconsciously glances back at him, surprised to find his stare, previously burning a hole into the back of her head, now entrapping her in eye contact that sends a spark up the length of her spine. Locking gazes, Ji-pyeong appears startled when she continues to glare back instead of quickly looking away, shock turning to curiousity before he averts his eyes back to the front of the class where Professor Yoon delivers her parting comments. 

As Professor Yoon exits, bidding farewell before heading to her next class scheduled for the day, Ji-pyeong simultaneously descends the stairs to the podium situated at the front of the lecture hall. 

“While I don’t hold you up to the same regard as Professor Yoon might,” Ji-pyeong begins, hooking up his laptop to their external cable inputs, “I do think anyone is capable of accomplishing something great in this course.” he adds, as his laptop displays brightly on the screen in the backdrop set up behind him, before stating frankly, “The problem is, most of you probably won’t.”

“The expectations have been reiterated multiple times, by Professor Yoon, in the course outline, and now, by me. You decide how well you’ll do in this course, I’m simply here to guide you towards that result. The responsibility of it falls wholly on you.” 

Dal-mi turns to Sa-ha, rolling her eyes, Sa-ha who snorts in response, hastily covering it up with a cough. 

“Of course,” the slightly raised inflection in Ji-pyeong’s tone draws Dal-mi’s attention back to the front of the class, Ji-pyeong, who privy to their exchange glares at her with disdain, “Even my guidance will fall short if you’re not willing to put forth the effort required to succeed.”

His directed quip at Dal-mi causes her to fume. If she was a cartoon, animated steam would be leaking out her ears. She knows he knows that everyone’s looking at her, his stare pointed enough that the subject at its other end is easily discernable. Raising a hand, she forces Ji-pyeong to pick on her, crossing his arms as he awaits her remark.

“So, what exactly do we have to do in order to satisfy you?” she questions, unable to resist tacking on, “Short of manifesting as Steve Jobs himself, of course.”

Ji-pyeong huffs in disbelief, brushing back hair that was already gelled into place away from his face, “I don’t expect anything from a bunch of green students who haven’t lived a day out in the real world. Just don’t fall flat on your face. Lower  _ your _ expectations, and you should be fine.”

“If I’m interpreting correctly, you want us to hold back in favour of mitigating risks, even if some of the biggest names in the industry were founded on the principles you speak so negatively of.”

“Dreams will get you nowhere in this line of business. Realism is a virtue.”

“It seems like the best way to impress you is by proving you wrong, then.”

The class falls under a hush. Dal-mi herself is not sure where the unforeseen boost of confidence prompting her to challenge Ji-pyeong is coming from. She can sense the nervous stares of her classmates flittering between the two of them, a silent duel materializing through unflinching eye contact, flared nostrils, and two figures staunch in their determination to not be the first to back down.

“Professor Yoon has asked me to take attendance at the beginning of each practical,” Ji-pyeong finally says, easing the stagnant tension that remained as he addresses the class as a whole, “I would appreciate if you stayed in your current seats for the rest of the semester. If you feel the need to switch around, do it now.”

No one stood up. Perhaps satisifed with their positions at the moment, probably out of the inherent fear instilled by Ji-pyeong’s harsh words and lack of niceties.

“Great. Please reply when I call out your name.”

As he began roll call, Dal-mi found herself zoning out. The alphabetical order in which last names were listed allowed her to dwell on her inner musings as she waited to be called on.  A seemingly impossible course to 4.0, and a TA who already hated her guts. While she wasn’t the best at math, she knew it was an equation that rendered less than promising results.

“Se-“ Ji-pyeong stutters, bringing Dal-mi back to reality, where the suddenly flustered TA’s eyes widened at the paper in his hands, looking up as a barely perceptible gulp surfaced at his throat, “Seo Dal-mi.”

“Here,” she calls out, Ji-pyeong’s startled expression settling on hers, so different from the emotions that he drew out of her with his previous interactions. His stare feels almost intrusive, boring into her, as if prying her apart, assessing her whole being piece by piece. She feels exposed, on the brink of discomfort. Then, before she can ponder on it further, he resumes listing off the remaining names on the class list. The moment’s over, leaving her with a slightly quickened pulse, a thin sheen of sweat damping the bangs swept across her forehead. 

_ What the hell was that about? _

The practical winds to a close, groups for the capstone project finalized. Dal-mi pairs up with Sa-ha, and eventually settles into a group of four consisting of her newfound friend, Yong-san and Chul-san, the latter who turned out to be one of the users who commented on Dal-mi’s original post requesting advice about the class prior to the semester starting. With Sa-ha, a double major in law and business, and the two Sans, as they referred to themselves, both computer science students, they delegate roles accordingly, Dal-mi unanimously being announced CEO. 

“Take the time between now and next week’s class to come up with a general business plan for your start-up,” Ji-pyeong interrupts the chatter humming across the hall, the clock nearing the next hour, when students will inevitably file in for the next class scheduled to take place, “I will personally go over them and advise you on how to move forward.”

“Meaning he’s going to tear us apart and make us wonder what crimes we committed to deserve crossing paths with him,” Chul-san mutters discreetly. 

“Any questions?” Ji-pyeong calls out to the crowd, gaze lingering on Dal-mi thoughtfully, a stark contrast between the hatefulness that permeated his prior glances, before moving on to survey the remainder of the group.

_When was the deadline to drop the course?_ Dal-mi thinks to herself silently, praying she wouldn’t regret the upcoming months that would follow.

* * *

From: _u/aspiringCEO_

To: _u/NDS2014_

Thank you, really. I appreciate all your help. Truly. I was quite scared heading into my final year, but your words are very comforting. Even if they don’t appear to be the common sentiment around here hahaha

You said you took the class a couple of years ago right? I’m going to assume it resulted in a thriving career post-graduation and run with that. My name is Seo Dal-mi, by the way. If we ever meet, I owe you a coffee. Maybe lunch. 

My treat :) 

From: _u/NDS2014_

To: _u/aspiringCEO_

No problem, Seo Dal-mi. I’m glad I could help. Looking forward to meeting you out in the real world.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the dramatic exit in my last fic HAHA. I'm back for one last hurrah
> 
> This has 4 parts and i want to finish it by the end of the month. Appreciate any thoughts/feedback :) I thought I was over them but clearly not lol
> 
> I know what I want to do, but out of curiousity would you guys prefer to see alternating POVs (so DM chapter, then JP chapter etc.) or simply a singular POV through DM? let me know what you think!


End file.
